# Is "Soldiers' Pay" by William Faulkner a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Soldiers' Pay by William Faulkner (Boni & Liveright, New York, 1926) is identified by: Faulkner's first novel (his second book after the 1924 poetry collection The Marble Faun). True US first; precedes the UK Chatto & Windus edition of 1930.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Faulkner's first novel (his second book after the 1924 poetry collection The Marble Faun)
- Published February 1926 in a first printing of 2,500 copies
- Binding: blue cloth, front board and spine stamped in yellow, spine also stamped in blind, with pictorial endpapers
- The copyright page carries no statement of later printings
- The key first-state dust jacket point: the rear panel lists five titles with An American Tragedy as the first
- Publisher imprint reads Boni & Liveright, New York
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | William Faulkner |
| Publisher | Boni & Liveright, New York |
| Year | 1926 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Faulkner's first novel (his second book after the 1924 poetry collection The Marble Faun) |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
Faulkner's first novel (his second book after the 1924 poetry collection The Marble Faun). Published February 1926 in a first printing of 2,500 copies. Binding: blue cloth, front board and spine stamped in yellow, spine also stamped in blind, with pictorial endpapers. The copyright page carries no statement of later printings. The key first-state dust jacket point: the rear panel lists five titles with An American Tragedy as the first.

## Is this the true first?
True US first; precedes the UK Chatto & Windus edition of 1930. Note Faulkner's actual first book was the poetry collection The Marble Faun (1924); Soldiers' Pay is his first novel.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book club edition. Later Boni & Liveright printings are noted on the copyright page; the first printing has no such notice.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Soldiers' Pay* by William Faulkner a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/soldiers-pay
CC BY 4.0. Part of the Canonical First-Edition Points of Issue dataset (https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/api/first-edition-titles.json). Last reviewed 2026-07-04.